The Prince And The Princess
by Skeleton Band
Summary: A librarian going to save a princess of a seaside kingdom? Will he be able to save her and will the princess venture the courage to go with such a pauper? This librarian has much more hidden behind his eyes. Read on to find out.


The Prince And The Princess

There it was; the feared castle that people called Stonespar, towered menacingly above the treetops. My horse whinnied in fear at the sight of the bleak stone, she sensed something near, so did I. Softly I steered Epaylla into a secluded grove and harbored her there among the abundant green grass and warm golden sunlight. I treaded out of the grove with my hand every so gently on the hilt of my sword and I walked up to the edge of the moat. The silky clear waters gave a deepening impression of the never ending abyss of blackness at the bottom of the moat that was not there. Softly the gentle wind whispered its soothing lullaby into my ear. _There is no entrance…no entrance at all. Though the water runs fast and the bottom is never ending the rocky sides hide nothing…no entrance. _Carefully I listened to the hushed words and I clung to each and every word to try to find a clue. _The rocky sides hide nothing. _That sentence ran over and over in my mind as I looked at my surroundings, trees all around, no rocks nor cliffs…save the one Stonespar sat upon. My eyes darted back to the castle on its rocky foundation…_the rocky sides hide nothing. _I've been around the castle twice, once on my horse and once on foot and I found nothing but a broken drawbridge. I slowly lowered my eyes to peer into the waters below me and I took my hand off the sword and jumped into the swirling blues and grays of the moat.

The water all around me was warm like fire yet cold like ice as I sank deep to the blackness. The pressure was building but I could breathe for the silver scale on my neck helped, it was like a set of makeshift gills. My feet touched bottom. Wasn't there supposed to be no bottom like the wind said? I brushed the thought off my shoulders and took out a card. These cards that I had in my pocket were waterproof and yet they had a strong spell on them. One just had to speak the word scribed on the paper and the spell would work, you didn't need to be no sorcerer nor magician to work these cards. Wondering if it was the right card I said the word _Fire_. Nothing happened. I tried the word with another card, nothing happened. The third try was the card I had been looking for and the card disintegrated and a small ball of fire hovered in my open hand. The small fire gave me light in the darkness of the moat as I searched for an entrance. Softly a voice echoed into my ear and out the other. _Many years have passed my friend. Many memories of so long ago. _I looked around me and saw in the dim distance a strange dragon swimming towards me. I struggled to run towards it but when I did I hugged its massive snout in remembrance of the friendship we gave. _O Saphira, how I missed you! Its been such a long time since we saw each other. _I said to the dragon with my mind. I didn't need to say anything else but about my mission. Saphira bent down for me to get on and straddle her neck, and then she swam towards the very rock foundation Stonespar stood on. A large crevice broke the rock in a manner of an entrance. We slipped through the crack and stopped in the middle of a large well. The bottom was littered with the remains of skeletons and corpses…some seemed fresher than others. I just hoped I was not to end up like one of them, forever to sleep. Up above was a dim torch light flickering like it was dying in pain from this cold place. Carefully I urged Saphira upward to the surface but I told her to be careful in case of any warriors. She peeked her head up above the surface for anything dangerous but didn't find anything so she swam up and sat on the surface like a bobbing boat. I slid off of Saphira's neck and crashed into the water from the lack of oxygen. Luckily I used the last of my strength and swam upward then pulled myself on shaky arms onto the cold stone floor. Shivering I fell into a darkness so warm yet it felt so cold.

When I woke up I was revived of my strength which was very weird. For I dreamt of a fire and a young woman, yet there were no traces or remains of a fire nor that of the girl. I shook my head to get the images out of my mind and to remember why I came here. _Help me, please help me. _Strange words echoed throughout the cold dank room. I looked about me but there was nobody there to make such words. _Help me, please help me. _There were those words again. I looked at the skeleton with a sword stuck through his breast to see if he made any noise. He did not. The voice didn't come back after I called out to it. "I wonder if it is the princesses' voice, I know it well for she comes into my…" I thought to myself but I stopped myself from going on, I wouldn't want to be daydreaming now after I had come so far. A breeze blew from behind me and I peered over my shoulder and noticed a door at the end of a hallway that wasn't there before. I pulled out my sword in caution of the imaginary hallway. I put out my foot and tapped the stone then tugged it back…no traps nor was it fake…so it must have been safe. Down the hallway I carefully walked. There were jail cells on either side holding skeletons, those of women, those of men, and some those of children. I shuddered at the thought of what the sorcerer did to these people. At the end of the hallway lit only by a single torch was a heavy iron door. It was unbolted and I heaved it open only to find another door behind it. There were four doors in all, each one smaller than the first. The last door was the smallest and when I opened it I had to kneel down to peer into the next room. There was a large hall full of pillars stretching into the darkness above. I crawled on my hands and knees to get through the small door, when I got through the door I heard a mechanical sound and the iron doors slammed shut and locked.

The darkness was close all around, it was unsettling. As I crept forward the pillars seemed to moan out to me to stay back…and go back to where I came from and never to return. Heedless I moved forward like a pawn in a game of chess, hesitant and liable to be the first (and only) one down. The deepening sound of a growl emitted from one of the dark crevices of the shadows all around…it was hard to foresee the area where it came from. A thundering roar broke the soft darkened shadows all around causing them to quiver and quake in fear. Pounding footsteps shook the castle's stone like an earthquake. In fear for the castle to take Death into its heart to suck the life out of it I clung fast to a pillar waiting for the end. The pounding stopped and the quaking did too. I opened my eyes and saw a monstrous red scaled dragon stood on all fours staring its great lizard eyes at me. The dragon roared its sulfuric breath into the air letting out sparks of flame. The moment was right for me to escape when the red fire breathing beast blew its blazing fiery tongue into the air, catching a chandelier on fire. I broke free from the monster's gaze just as the first flames struck the hanging wood. My feet hit the cobblestone floor running for my life. I tripped over a skeleton soldier lying dead on the floor. Its white body charred black. I tried to get up but my foot was stuck, like it was being held onto something. I looked behind me to see my boot caught in the soldier's rib cage and its hand taking hold on the cuff of my pants. Its dark maggot infested eyes stared at me with its toothless grin. The skeleton seemed like it wanted to say something to me but it couldn't for he let Death suck the life out of his lips before his time on earth was even through. I tugged and pulled on my boot but the skeleton man wouldn't let go. Just as I was struggling on the floor to get my foot free, a blazing tyranny flew above my head just missing me by mere inches. The geyser of fire died and I heard the dragon roar in fury. The skeleton man seemed to let go of my pant and his ribs opened up to let my foot go. I sprinted straight ahead with no clue in hell where to go. In the dim light I could make out a wall ahead so I ran right for it. As I neared it I slapped the wall which propelled me to go left. I saw a flight of cold stone steps leading upward into the darkness ahead and I fled up them, my footsteps were softened by the moth eaten threadbare carpet. At the top of the stairs there was a large balcony overlooking the grand hall. Down at the bottom floor the dragon roared in defeat.

The sound of crumbling filled my ears just as the roar swam out. I peered over the stone railing to see what was happening. The dragon had rammed his thick skull into the stairs and made them crumble into a smoldering heap of rubble. It seemed to be that the dragon wanted me to stay up here and die. A gush of air blew the torch's light quivering as the dragon lifted itself aloft by his leathery wings. I backed away from the edge and bumped into an iron door. My hand frantically fumbled for a door knob as the dragon was about to blow its fiery tongue at me. I flung open the door and bolted it shut behind me, feeling safe that there was a barrier between me and the dragon. I turned away from the great hall and looked up a long flight of stairs leading to another iron doorway at the top. I took the steps two at a time but when I heard the dragon let out another roar I looked back to see the door at the bottom of the steps had melted into molten liquid. Hurriedly I ran up the stairs to escape the dragon before it belched out another fiery flame. The door's lock was rusted and stuck tight. I kicked it trying to get it unlocked. The door finally sprung open and allowed me access to the next room. I slammed the door shut and backed away from it a safe distance. When I was safely back the door melted away in a puddle to smolder. I looked at the door on the floor and noticed a fallen pillar on a heavily worn regal red carpet. My silver eyes followed the carpet up to a raised platform holding a black twisted iron throne sitting in-front of a broken stained glass window. It was obvious I was in the throne room that held many audiences, their purposes a mystery and unknown. A single torch sat lonely in its bracket flickering all alone. Deep in the hall sitting on the throne was a ghost just staring at me. The ghost left a vapor floating behind him as he walked towards me.

"Come to save the princess? I highly doubt you can do it young man," the ghost's ghastly voice said to me.

"Who are you? You are just a specter. What harm can you do?" I sneered at the ghost like man.

"Yes, it is clear that you have come for her. But do you know where she is? Could she be trapped in a mirror? Dead as a doornail like old Marley? You are going to have to search high and low to find the one that you are looking for."

"Stop speaking in riddling tongues!" I slashed my hand through the ghost and he dissipated. The spirit's voice resonated from the darkness as he spoke, _High and low. Left or right. Up or down. Which way is right? Which is the way to go? _I looked all around me for the specter.

"Where are you? Answer me fiend," I cried out to nothing. The voice didn't come back.

My mind started to think about the riddle the man gave me. I looked to the left and saw a door. I looked to my right and saw a door. My eyes wandered over everything and nothing in the throne room until they rested upon the broken window. When I looked out I saw nothing at the bottom but the fast moving river and moat and the treetops. Beyond the trees stood The Wasteland, rumored to once be the very place that Adam and Eve from Genesis wandered after being forced to leave Stonesburrow; back then known as Eden. Past the Wasteland laid The Badlands Of Kannan, a stretch of land where nothing grew and nobody inhabited. Up above stood nothing but the high tower and the haunting gray sky. Nothing out the window helped me so I took out a compass on a pouch that hung on my belt and I took out a piece of chalk. I drew a large sized compass similar to mine but in bigger size. I set the compass in the middle of the bigger circle and I made a smaller circle. I stood in the small circle and stared at the compass. I shot my hand out and pointed my finger downward in a circular motion causing the needle in the compass to spin. I continued to spin my finger in circular motion and when I heard the needle click to a fast stop I stopped moving my finger. After a few minutes I guaranteed it was safe so I stepped out of the small compass circle and looked into the face of the compass. The needle was pointing to the southwest and I looked in that direction. There was a door set in the wall. I picked up the compass and set it away. I walked over to the door and opened it which it led out to a balcony right above the great hall. I looked over the edge of the stone railing and saw the red fiery dragon slumbering on a large pile of gold and treasures from what seemed to be from all over the world. I noticed that I was right above the platform that the dragon had kept me on. Right underneath was another flight of stairs leading downward. At the other end of the small balcony was another door. I opened that door and found myself in a long hallway of elegant mirrors. The floor was even mirrored to reflect anything and everything.

I tried to wander down the hallway without making any noise but the mirrored floor seemed to sing out gallantly. At the end of the regal hallway towered a high mirrored door that seemed to moan in pain for some reason unknown. It opened at my first step close to it. That door led out to a long railed bridge leading to a tall stone tower. The wind blew and cut at my face from the high altitude as I crossed the bridge's threshold and I opened the cold iron double doors with some trouble for they were heavy. At last I opened the doors and found a dim light only lit by the torches curling upward with no stairs to be underneath. In the middle of the room was a golden and iron clad rounded dome with a haunting skeleton with its bony hands grasped around an iron pole with gold details all over the shaft. I pried the bony fingers of the skeleton off the bar and I looked where it was stuck in a cleft going around the whole dome. I pushed the shaft forward and pushed and pushed and it wouldn't budge. I went to the other side and pushed and I heard something groan in pain and something clicked. I heard clockwork gears clicking and turning and groaning trying to work. As they turned ever so slowly I heard some stones sliding together. I looked at the floor and saw a set of stairs turning upward, rising from the floor. As they twisted and raised I ran up them trying to get to the next area before the clockwork parts decided to give way and just stop and sending the stairs crashing back down into their places. I made it to the next floor and the stairs didn't slide back in place.

In the next room was a mix of platforms rising high with a series of doors all over. It boggled my mind on how to get past this puzzle. I noticed a door and walked into it and found myself on a platform. A door with stairs leading downward was on the other side and I went down it to find myself back on the first floor. I decided to just run through each door until I came upon the highest floor. It was successful for I came upon the top floor with only one door which was made of iron and seemed to be locked. An iron key was fit into the lock of the door in the hand of a skeleton. I shivered at the thought of prying away the cold dead man's hand with the key. The key dropped to the floor as I broke several of the fingers off the hand and they crumbled to dust. The key turned in place and the lock clicked open and the door swung on creaky hinges. A woman sat at on a bed facing the windows brushing her hair and admiring her reflection in a handheld mirror. She gasped and turned to me where I stood in the doorway.

"Who are you?" the young woman said.

"Come with me princess," I said holding my hand out.

"Who are you? You don't look like a prince who would wear shining armor and them come to my door pronouncing his love for me and that he slain the dragon. Then he would sweep me off my feet and carry me off on his white steed." The princess was confused with the real term of a prince.

"You've been reading all the wrong fairytales milady. No smart prince would wear such troublesome armor on a quest. It's a stereotype writers have given princes; they seem to have confused princes with knights and knights with princes. Now come, our time here dwindles."

"No. I will not leave until my prince comes. I will not leave with…with a pauper." The princess crossed her arms defiantly and refused to say no more.

"I am the only hope you have princess. Do you know how many men have given their lives to try and save you? Their skeletons litter the hall; some lucky ones have even made it halfway up the stairs and been killed or died trying. Only one man seems to have made it up here but he could never rap upon your chamber door for he must have died before calling upon your fairness."

The princess held out her hand then shrank back…thinking it over. Finally she reconciled and placed her fair hand in mine. I clasped her hand and I led her through all the confusing doors and then down the clockwork stairs. I pushed open the doors and led the fair maiden across the bridge high above the ground. The mirrored door opened for us as we neared it and it yelled out to us. _Save me. Save me Princess. Save me. _Halfway down the hall the princess stopped me.

"Wait! We must save him!" the princess cried. She wrenched her hand from mine and ran towards the door.

"Princess, wait!" I yelled and followed her. She stopped in-front of the mirrored door and stared at it, breathing heavily. I saw a flicker of movement in a mirror to the side and it was that ghost that riddled me. It was a trap.

"Princess, we must leave now! This isn't anybody you need to save. It is a trap," I warned her and grabbed her hand, forcing her to come with me.  
We ran into the throne room but just as we were going to the stairs the ghost appeared in-front of the door. I paid no attention as he tried to charge at us and we ran right through him and down the steps, wanting to get out. A ferocious roar broke out over the still silence of the hall, the dragon was furious with us for escaping. The princess slapped me.

"You didn't slay the dragon?" she yelled at me.

"It was either run or die, milady," I said to her with gritted teeth. She could be a real pain.

I took the princess down the right side of the hall as the dragon tried to charge at us but I defended us by hacking the dragon's claws and feet with my sword. As we were on the floor I pushed the princess to the front gate where she slid into a small niche for safety. While she was in hiding I ran towards the treasure pile and scattered everything insight to try to find something magical to kill a dragon. I could hear the dragon running into pillars in fury and in blindness of rage. I saw something gleaming in the light of the torches in a small hidden niche past the mound of gold. I slipped in and found…yet another corpse with an arrow lodged into its neck. The arrow was silver, purely of silver and beautiful. Carefully I dug the arrow out of the neck and took out my bow for one shot at the dragon. Nocking the Silver Arrow I stepped out from the niche and pointed my bow and arrow at the howling dragon. It spotted me in its bloody black eyes and stood on its hind legs spewing fire and lots of it. A quick whistle of wind and a monstrous howl and yell of pain the dragon fell to the ground, the arrow lodged into its heart. I walked over to the princess and she hugged me and kissed me on the cheek.

"Thank you for saving me. I'm sorry I slapped you." she said blushing.

"It's ok princess, let's just find a way to get-"I said but was cut off when I looked at the sealed gate. I walked over to it and pushed against each spot of the door until I found a small part that groaned in despair. That was the way out, through a hidden port door for late night visitors. Taking the princess's hand I led her out of the door and into the bright sunshine where it was blinding. A whinny broke the soft air and I knew Epaylla was there waiting for us across the moat. We crossed over the broken drawbridge so happy to get out of Stonespar. I helped the princess onto the front of Epaylla while I got on behind her and held her close to me as I took the reigns from her hands. Epaylla started off in a trot, both the princess and I took one final look at Stonespar and never would look at it again. Suns and moons passed and we got more familiar and friendly with each other, you could say we were practically dating. On the fourteenth day we neared the castle's gates and a guard cried out, "Halt! Who goes there?"

"It is I, Kaine the librarian, I have rescued the princess," I called out to the guard in the guard house.

"Preposterous, how silly that a librarian would save the princess and could do it," the guard laughed at me.

"With a sword and bravery sire, bravery that none of your guards have."

"It is true, Gustoff, Kaine has saved me from Stonespar," the princess raised her voice, finally.

"Now let us in. You wouldn't want your princess to freeze out here now would you, Gustoff?"

Gustoff didn't say anything but opened the gates of the city and let us pass. There was a great tremor of whispering as one wife saw me and the princess riding Epaylla and she ran off to tell others. Soon a throng of people were following us to the castle. I stopped my horse in the main courtyard of the palace and the princess jumped off and ran inside, no thank you or nothing. A stable boy came up to me and told me he would take my horse, I jumped off and rubbed Epayalla's nose to let her know I would be back. A young maid walked over the fresh green grass to me and bowed and said nothing. I got the impression to follow her. She led me through corridors and grand halls, small sitting rooms to a high towered room overlooking the city. It was here that I was told to bathe and sleep and in the morning the king would like to have an audience with me. The sun broke through the window and fell onto my sleeping body, warming me and waking me. I dressed in a gallant outfit and I rang a cord to summon the maid. She walked into the room and led me to the throne room. Two guards opened the high double doors and I was amazed at the crowd of onlookers standing in the throne room and looked back at the door to me. I slowly walked down the blue carpeted walkway looking at the people and bowed my head and they bowed their heads back. I bowed to the king, then the queen, then the princess and knelt on the floor. Hours later I was standing in a furnished tower room that overlooked the city of Portova. All that ran through my head was the word feast repeating over and over again like a broken Seashell. I looked at the Seashell in the room and heard that it was playing a soft sea waltz. Down in the castle there rose the glorious noise of the hustle and bustle as the maids and servants and cooks got ready for the last minute preparations. I decided to get ready and I descended down the stairs to join the feast. Two guards opened up the double doors that lead to the dining hall and trumpets trumpeted my entrance. The king had a place set for me on his right next to the princess. During the feast the princess excused herself and went out some side door. Soon after I excused myself and went out the same side door. A soft rose and lilac fragrance wafted through my nostrils and caught my attention, leading me down a hallway and through some corridors and into some small rooms.

I found the scent leading me into a library full of books. For a while I wandered aimlessly up and down the aisles of books, my fingers tracing the leather bound spines of the books. I picked out a book and looked through its contents and then placed it back into its resting place. I walked past a tapestry depicting a maiden opening a door with a golden light flooding out from behind the door. The scent was strongest near the tapestry so I parted its heavy cloth and found an open door. Behind the door was a circular room covered in mirrors with small circular windows above the mirrored walls. On the floor was the golden Trinity symbol. The Trinity symbol was just a golden triangle that represented the Goddess's power. On the other side of the room was a door like the one I had just entered. I found a path behind the door leading past the circular room and down through a series of cliffs. I followed the path across a white stone bridge to a crumbling stone round building. The building was surrounded by a small pond with stepping stones leading to a door. I crossed the pond and entered the building to find the princess sitting on a small raised platform in the middle of the room reading. She looked up in a mirror, which were all over the ivy and vine wrapped building, and she looked at me.

"Excuse me princess, I was just leaving," I said making a quick bow and was about to leave.

"No. Wait. Please stay awhile, Kaine," she turned to me. I sat down before her looking into her wintry blue eyes. She asked me, "How did you come upon my garden?"

"Well, I was tired of the feast so I snuck off and smelt that perfume of yours and followed it into the library then down to here," I said to her taking her hands in mine.

"I thought I shut that door," the princess said to herself thoughtfully.

"It's beautiful here," I said to the princess softly and I took her hands in mine, "and so are you." I placed my soft lips on hers and gave her a small kiss. She blushed and kissed me back.

"When shall we tell my father about us, Kai?" the princess asked.

"I don't know. But we should get going back before they start to worry."

We both exited the small garden and left for the castle hand in hand. The night passed uneventful other than the feast and the kiss. The next morning was a splendor since I had in my arms the princess and my lover all in one, and I was to get a job at the library down near the sanctuary known as Notre Dame. Three or four months passed and I lived in contentment until one day I was approached by two guards wearing the crest of Baron on their breastplates. One of the men walked up to me holding a letter.

"Kaine, I presume?" the man said. I said nothing.

"He's probably not Kaine, Aldor. This servant must be mute," the other guard said.

"Can you give this to Kaine when you do see him?" the man called Aldor held out the letter and I set down the books in my hands and took it. As the two men set off I tore open the wax sealing and pondered over the words scrawled on the parchment.

"Wait! What is the meaning of this letter?" I cried out.

"So you can speak." The other guard replied.

"Answer my question! What is the meaning of this letter?" I shook the paper at them.

"Kaine's father the king, King Harkinian Duun Romenosk, wrote that letter when he believed that something was going to happen. We have reason to believe that the prince is here," Aldor replied to my question.

"I am King Harkinian's son, Kaine Dryeene Romenosk. What is the trouble in Baron?" I asked them shaking a little.

"Your uncle has poisoned your father killing him leaving the seat to the throne open for rule. He was the next heir to the throne since you weren't around and naturally took over. Your people need your help."

"I-I can't…I wish I could help but I don't have the skills to save my kingdom and my people, let alone kill my uncle." I said, my voice quivering.

"We have no choice…you must come with us, Kaine."

I had no choice but to go. It was either let my people suffer and die or destroy my uncle's reign. I was told to go to my room to retrieve whatever provisions I needed and not to say goodbye or a word to anybody in my quake of egress. I disobeyed and slipped into the Princess Arianna's sleeping chamber to say my own goodbye. I leaned over the princess to gaze at her beauty one last time. My lips left a soft kiss on her rose lips and I slipped a card with one word on it on her bedside table. Dasvidania.

Leave fall and die then grow back. Snow falls and melts. Flowers bloom and wither. Seven years passed a long with many seasons since I left the kingdom of Orca for two reasons. Those reasons are like a whisper on the wind, first they are here then they are gone on the next like a whisper on the wind. Every day those two reasons why I left haunted me until I could stand it no longer. I trotted my horse through the gates of Portova and I noticed lots of changes to the city I once left. I didn't care about the changes but I would see them later. People stared at my appearance but I ignored them as I got up to the castle gates. The guards bowed and let me through with no escort nor any questions. My mind led me through the familiar halls up to the throne room. My feet treaded on the soft blue carpet of the regal white throne room and I stopped before the throne. A beautiful queen sat on the gold throne with regality. I bowed and stared at her wintry blue eyes. We said nothing, yet our eyes screamed everything we wanted to say.


End file.
